Experienced Russian driver signs with Canadian-based team for the 2019 Road To Indy campaign

SASKATOON, SK – Exclusive Autosport has confirmed its first driver of the 2019 Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires season, and are excited to announce that Nikita Lastochkin will be joining the team in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires program. This will mark the talented Russian’s third year in the category, and he’ll aim to use his experience to push for his best results ever. Coming off their debut season in Pro Mazda, where they won three races, Exclusive Autosport has not let up and has tested numerous drivers during the off-season with the goal of running three PM-18s for the 2019 season.

“I am thrilled to welcome Nikita to the Exclusive Autosport Pro Mazda program,” enthused Michael Duncalfe, Team Principal. “Nikita’s experience in the Road to Indy and maturity are great assets to the EA program. Overall, Nikita is a great fit with the Exclusive Autosport team. We are looking forward to a very positive and successful year with him in Pro Mazda.”

Lastochkin began his racing career in 2013 in the Skip Barber and SCCA series, scoring many victories, all with his eyes on the Mazda Road to Indy program. In 2015, Nikita began a two-year stint in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, where he earned a combined 24 top-10 finishes. In 2017, he set his sights on Pro Mazda Presented by Cooper Tires and the 28-year-old finished fifth in the championship standings, posting eight top-fives and 11 top-10s with a season-high result of third in both races at Road America. Last year, Nikita was ninth overall in the championship fight with 10 top-10 finishes.

“I’m extremely excited to come into the season and join Exclusive Autosport,” Lastochkin enthused. “From the testing we’ve completed so far, the car feels very quick and suits my driving style well. Michael (Duncalfe) has been very welcoming and helped me feel at home right away and I think we are going to have a great year ahead of us.”

The team is ready and the cars have been prepared for the upcoming official Road to Indy open test at Homestead-Miami Speedway next week (December 3-4). Following the outing in December, the next official test for the Road to Indy will bring Exclusive Autosport back to South Florida for Spring Training at Homestead on March 2-3, followed immediately by the 2019 season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 8-10. A number of additional private tests are scheduled for early 2019. Drivers interested in joining the Exclusive Autosport team are invited to contact Exclusive Autosport at www.exclusiveautosport.ca/contact-us/. The entire Exclusive Autosport staff is motivated to begin their third season of Road to Indy competition to build of the tremendous successes of 2017 and 2018.

Exclusive Autosport is pleased to be able to partner with great companies, such as AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology (www.rethinkpaint.com), which is used on all their race cars.